Amanda by the Cattails (and Anthology News)

I've been a bit remiss in letting you know that I'm going to be published in a Halloween anthology edited by uber-cool bestselling writer Anne Frasier. She invited me and a group of highly talented folks to contribute stories. The anthology, by Nodin Press, will be released in September 2011.

However, I've got a more current surprise! I've been itching to revisit my original genre (the one that made me want to write): ghosts and the supernatural. If you're not ready to let summer go and would enjoy a ghost story with a touch of Clarity-of-Night dark sensuality, I've got just the thing for you! AMANDA BY THE CATTAILS (4000 words) is now available at Smashwords for $0.99.

Get it here!

Synopsis: Amanda's erotic awakening in the darkness of a summer night has changed more than her perception of her own body and the world around her. She is drawn by an odd allure to the pond behind her house. When Amanda is seen talking to a young man standing in the fields, she has no memory of the encounter. She must learn the identity of this ghost before the dark yearning for him destroys her.

Game Friday: Brain Blossoms

How long has it been since we had some fun on a Game Friday?? Geez, I must be getting lame or something. My apologies. :) Let's remedy that, shall we?

This one is old and unoriginal, but it's one of my favorites. In fact, I do a version of it all the time in conversations. If we are given a prompt, a stimulus, what "random" connection sparks through our brains to bounce out a response? Yes, I'm talking about word association. The game that gives little glimpses into the vastness that populates our brains.

Here's how to play.

Clear your mind. Nice and squeaky.

Then, look at the word in the last comment to this post. What is the very first thing (word) that jumps into your cleared mind. Leave that word as a new comment. The next person will then use your word as his or her prompt.

Got it? Like I say dog, and you say Snausages.

I will leave the first word.

Let's see where our mysterious minds take us.

I Love the Way You Lie

Just gonna stand there
and watch me burn?
That's alright
because I like the way it hurts
     --Eminem ft. Rihanna, I Love the Way You Lie

He tapped the pencil to the ticking of the clock.

Tick.

Tick.

Crunch

Exploded graphite and wood stained the paper brown and black. He grabbed the nearest thing, a book, and winged it across the room. It dented the wall and flopped onto the floor bent in a messed up fan.

The clock paused for two heartbeats.

Then, the march of time restarted.

He turned on the television. Turned it off. The molten metal in his veins wanted to throw the remote too, but that would be an unfortunate thing to break.

Instead, he piled some of her things in the kitchen sink. Notes. Pictures. Things she made for him.

He lit the match and watched the flame erupt. The brightness made the stick twist and crack. Agonized cinders.

He pinched the searing heat without wetting his fingers and rushed out of the apartment down to the city. The little tides of chaos in the streets soothed him. They distracted all the storms raging in his head.


COMMENTS LINK

Fishing with Mom and Dad

a lane of sunset
cuts the water
              the boat settles
              where there used to be waves
anchor in your memory
cozy fishing line
              someday you'll miss being a child
              who didn't have to be brave

Teamwork

Try, said the mouse
     to the fly
Can't, said the fly
     to the ant
Please, said the ant
     to the cheese
Snap, said the cheese
     to the trap

Gimme Five!

Today, my friends, The Clarity of Night is five years old.

A bit of a milestone, no?

(What's that in marriage anniversaries, a clock or something?)

This run has been more successful than I could have imagined. Years ago, I remember wistfully looking at a popular blogger who broke 250,000 visits and thinking, wow, if I could do what she did (without chronicling sexual escapades, that is), it would be amazing! Now that I'm knocking on the door of 500,000 visits, the truth is that YOU are the amazing ones.

On a more melancholy note, I did give serious thought about whether this is an opportune time to close The Clarity of Night. Maybe it's time to fade back into the twilight. It has to happen sometime, right? These five years have seen some of my best times, and also some of my worst. I'm poured all through these posts. The biggest reason that I am deciding NOT to close my blog now is that I'm so used to having this outlet that I don't think it would be good for me to lose it. Except for two missed days, I've produced 3 posts a week consistently for 5 years. And it hasn't been work. It's been freeing, challenging, fun, inspiring, and cathartic. I guess I'm not ready to stop. So here's to a bunch more!!

Thanks to my regular reader/commenters, thanks to the lurkers, and most of all, thanks for pulling up a chair with a glass of wine and watching the sun give way to a clear, cozy night.

They Said the Sun Sparkled All Around Him

"This was where he was last seen?"

"Yes."

"Those are restricted waters. Was it a patrol boat?"

"No. Sailboat. Making way to Still Pond."

"That's pretty weird, don't you think? Why would anyone take note of some guy out here? Enough to call it in once they saw the news report?"

"I don't know. It was evening, and the water was pretty empty. They said the sun was setting over him. It's pretty unusual to see a canoe this far out."

"Not a kayak?"

"That's not what they said."

They stared at the empty glass of the lighthouse tower. The light was never lit. It watched silently over waters that didn't matter to anyone anymore.

"So where should we start the search?"

"It's been over 36 hours. Just do a sweep of the island. Look for any traces that he landed. Other than that, the guy needs to turn up on his own. One way or another."

Beatitudes #3

::Blessèd are the harmed
     For they shall not suffer the same harm again::


(Photo taken at the Philadelphia Museum of Art)

A Thousand Miles

And now I wonder
if I could fall
into the sky
do you think time
would pass me by?
Because you know
I'd walk 1000 miles
if I could just see you
tonight
     --Vanessa Carlton, A Thousand Miles

His headlights lit a passing road sign. Only two more miles, and he'd be there. He speed-dialed her number, and she answered.

"Hey," he said. "I take it you got my text."

"Yep."

"So you're home? What are you up to?"

"Nothing. Reading. Passing time. Missing you," she said.

He glanced at the directions again. This wouldn't be the usual way he went.

"So you're up for it, right?" he said. "What I texted?"

"Going for a walk?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know," she said.

Oh crap.

"Come on. It'll be fun. You'll see once we start and you get some fresh air."

"It's not the same," she said. "Phone calls and texts."

"I know. But it's way better than nothing, right? Think about what it was like before all this technology. I could be across the street."

"You're far, far from across the street," she sighed.

He slowed for the exit.

"It's clear there, right?" he said. "Starry night?"

"I don't know."

"I checked your weather. It's clear," he said.

The view right outside his car windows said so. Spectacular.

"We can look at the same stars as we go for our walk," he said.

"You're three hours ahead of me. Your sky is way different than mine."

"No, actually I checked that too," he said. "I've got a constellation or two all worked out."

She laughed a little for the first time. "Yeah, you probably do."

He left the highway behind.

"You're going to walk that same way we did this spring, right?" he said. "Through that little bit of woods then out into the hills?"

"I guess. Does it really matter?" she said.

"Yes! I want to be able to imagine just where you are."

"I won't be able to visualize where you're walking," she said.

"I'll talk you through it," he said.

He was getting close. In five minutes, he'd pull over near the halfway spot. He'd start walking in the opposite direction as she left her house. Seeing him out there after 26 hours of driving was going to completely blow her mind.

"I'll call you back in five minutes," he said. "And we'll get started."

"Okay," she said, not entirely excited.

"Trust me," he said. "This is going to be perfect."


Comments Link

Asking

he asked for a mirror
and got a kaleidoscope
he asked for a shield
and got a bow without arrows
he asked for marble stairs
to climb unbesmirched
and got igneous walls
of cold volcanic flows

Geostorm

Despite the grime and dried blood from the wilderness, the hairs on Ulrich's arms stood.

His head had been hung, dozing, when the tickling snapped his chin up. He watched the dark wisps of hair peel clear of his skin and reach outward. He didn't dare to touch anything. The bizarre static charge felt huge. A brush from his fingertips would probably spark his entire arm numb.

Then, he noticed it.

Something deep in the ground.

A grinding, papery sound that buzzed vibrations through his toe bones.

Very, very strange.

A searing light exploded on the ridge like a fountain of lighting. The purple pillar whirled and writhed, anchored to the Earth.

Ulrich gaped.

Earthquakes could build huge static discharges, he knew that. Maybe he'd seen something like it on TV from an erupting volcano. But nothing that lasted more than an instant. Nothing like this.

A bolt sliced out and slammed a nearby tree. Wood and steam detonated in a spectacular cloud of debris. Shaken, he fell back.

Another bolt hit and rained splintered wood even closer. Rational or not, he felt like the thing was targeting him.

He scrambled on all fours. Glanced back at the fire and smoke. They twirled at the base like a surreal tornado.

To his left, a towering pine boomed. Needles and branches fluttered down.

He dove behind a rock.

The sky flashed with discharges. He cowered.

Another bolt barely missed, convulsing hard through his muscles. The current was following the roots back to where it came from.

Before it could dance closer, the pillar flashed out with a deafening clap of thunder.

He tried to catch his breath.

The Earth had stopped whispering.


(This piece is selection from my work in progress, EARTHTIDE.)

Winners Announcement--"Uncovered"

Today, we have a first.

*Not only did Stephen and I agree on the winner before we compared notes (actually, that's not a first)...
*Not only did we have a very high correlation in all our rankings...
*Not only do we have a rare DOUBLE WINNER...

But, ladies and gentlemen, for the first time EVER in a Clarity of Night contest, the top three vote-earners in Readers' Choice voting matched the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners!! Holy frijoles!!!

Of course, you'd like to know who I'm talking about, right? Details, details.

But first, let me tip my hat to all the skillful writers who made the Forties Club. Each and every one of these entries employed solid writing to bring the story idea to life.

(Drum roll please). Without further ado, I would like to recognize the following writers:

PLACEMENTS

1st Place--Vogt, Josh, The Care and Feeding of Angels (#9)
[Prize: $100 Amazon gift certificate; signed copy of THE TAVERNIER STONES]

2nd Place--Aerin Rose, Heirloom (#72)
[Prize: $50 Amazon gift certificate; signed copy of THE TAVERNIER STONES (moved from Readers' Choice, since Josh Vogt is already receiving this prize)]

3rd Place--Morgan, J. Elis, Synesthesia (#28)
[Prize: $35 Amazon gift certificate]

4th Place--Posol’stvo, Easy Chair (#29)
[Prize: $30 Amazon gift certificate]

5th Place--Eaton, Loren, Chthonic (#4)
[Prize: $20 Amazon gift certificate]

Honorable Mention--Precie, Child’s Play (#12)

Honorable Mention--Dudley, Peter, Smoldering (#17)

Honorable Mention--Smythe, Deborah, Broken Shores (#19)

Honorable Mention--Snowden, Shona, Value (#43)

Honorable Mention--Nagel, B., Fifths (#44)

Honorable Mention--Haws, Joni, Anniversary Dinner (#62)

Honorable Mention--Grace, February, Wish Trip (#63)

Honorable Mention--Tricia S., The Cold Hard Truth (#64)

Honorable Mention--Jones, Samuel I., Haina Baraka (#68)

Honorable Mention--Sharma, Mayur, The Amethyst (#70)

READERS' CHOICE AWARD

Readers' Choice--Vogt, Josh, The Care and Feeding of Angels (#9)
[Prize: $40 Amazon gift certificate]

Readers' Choice, Runner-up--Aerin Rose, Heirloom (#72)

Readers' Choice, 2nd Runner-up--Morgan, J. Elis, Synesthesia (#28)

NIGHT OWL AWARD

Y.L. Chong, "Seven Stones"--$15 Amazon Gift Certificate

*********

A tough, tough competition. The Honorable Mentions could be much bigger.

STATS
Just how successful was it? Your 161 entries have generated 74 Forties Club Finalist, 26,774 hits, and 8,796 unique visitors!

FORTIES CLUB
As we know by now, entries scoring at least 40 out of 45 in my scoring system are inducted into The Forties Club. This time, all of the posted entries were Forties Club members. In my judgment, these writers have done their job excellently. Their strong, skilled writing brought their stories to life.

KEEP THE COMMUNITY GOING
Don't let the community end here. I hope to see all of you back at The Clarity of Night and on your own blogs. Link to each other and give your insights and gifts freely. If you'd like, I will definitely trade links and visit you on your own blogs.

SO WHAT DID YOU THINK?
Lastly, please let me know what you think of this contest format. On the positive side, fewer posted entries (with more skilled storytelling) were easier for people read and keep up with. Also, getting posted is an extra goal for people to work toward. On the negative side, people who did not get posted generally disappeared, and their lack of involvement reduced the reach of the contest. Secondly, the ones not posted lost the opportunity to mix with more practiced writers and learn through interaction.

On the I-really-don't-know side, people who didn't make the Forties Club got some direct feedback. Some found it valuable, some probably found it frustrating, and a couple didn't take it well at all. Giving feedback to people I don't know is not something I would generally do. You really don't know if the person on the other end is unprepared for critiquing or is too wrapped in their ego. Yet, feedback is so rare in submissions. I'll do the work if it gives something back to the writing community. On the flip side, it certainly would be much less effort for me not to do personalized notes.

*********

Thanks again for a great contest experience and for all of the excellent writing. Give the winners a pat on the back for their outstanding work. The Clarity of Night will soon return to its normal content of poetry, fiction, and a few curiosities.

Feel free to contact me anytime. You will always find a welcoming place here.

Readers' Choice Voting is Closed

That's it!

The voting period is now closed.

And you know what that means? Stephen and I have finished judging. Look for the uber-spectacular winners announcement tomorrow around noon! (Eastern U.S. time.)

You all have made this a truly spectacular contest. I don't remember so many perfect-score entries. I don't remember so many amazing ideas. You guys slayed it!! And it makes it all the cooler that all of this was in honor of Stephen Parrish and THE TAVERNIER STONES.

See you back here tomorrow!